American Culinary Federation Meeting! We attended a seminar at the Indy Marriott With many great area Chef's to Learn about Reverse Oxygen Processing and HACCP controls! Important safety info to protect you the people we care about! What a great group of industry professionals to learn with!

3rd Anniversary Celebration with Triton Brewery!

Triton Brewery celebrates 3 great Years!!

Congrats to the entire team. We had a great time celebrating, touring and drinking some Forking Awesome Beer!

Making fresh mozzarella

We had some wonderful friends join us in the kitchen this evening to make some mozzarella cheese. We had the pleasure of attending a mutual friend's 60th birthday celebration the day prior at a local dairy that also has a restaurant featuring farm to table freshness.  In the dairy's store we managed to obtain some raw milk that was bottled that morning. After a day of work we were excited to get together to make some fresh cheese using local milk. 

Organic, grass fed Swiss dairy cows gave us the perfect milk

We start by heating it to 90 degrees with citric acid. 

We dissolved rennet in water. 

We added the rennet when it reached the proper temp.  

After it sits for 8 minutes it has the texture if a soft Jell-o. 

We cut the curds into 1" cubes. 

Stir and heat to 110 degrees. 

We strained the curds then begin squeezing out excess moisture. 

Once it's whey is removed we began the process of pulling it. 

In the end we are left with lovely mozzarella braids. We pour the whey ( otherwise known as buttermilk) back into clean jars for use as a chicken marinade or in biscuits. 

Trader Point Creamery! This place is awesome!!!

Gluten Free!!!

Cooking in style! Rational Self Cooking Center

Dessert theater is under way!

Dessert theater 2014

Super Bowl Sunday Dinner

Go Bronco's!

Sunday Dinner

Hi everyone, its chef Amy here.  I had to share last night’s meal with you all.  After an extended Christmas break due to Snowmageddon and the Polar Vortex that hit Indiana last week Josh and I had an extra week of vacation (or should I say an extra week to shovel snow in sub zero temperatures.  What fun!)  As we said goodbye to the break and prepared to gear up for the second semester of school we decided on a slow cooked meal to warm us heart and soul before hitting the grind.  Josh came up with the menu and Jeff and I were in total agreement.

 

Then menu for our Sunday night dinner is Braised Short Ribs, Creamy Parmesan Risotto and a medley of sautéed Green and Wax beans with Asparagus and Mushrooms.

 

Don't be intimidated this meal is actually super easy to prepare.  Here’s how we made it.

 

Braised Short Ribs:

8 Short Ribs

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

½ Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper

½ Tsp Thyme

½ Tsp Basil

Olive Oil

2 Carrots cut into large chunks

1 Celery Stalk, cut into large chunks

1 Medium Onion, cut into quarters

3 Bay Leaves

6 Juniper Berries

4 Cups Beef Stock

¼ Cup Sun-Dried Tomato Puree

2 Cups Red Wine

 

Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Combine the salt, pepper, thyme and basil.  Rub on the short ribs.  Place a heavy bottomed pot on the stove on medium high heat.  Add the oil.  Sear the ribs on all sides (this may take a couple of batches depending on the size of the pot being used).  Transfer the meat to a platter and set aside.  Add the vegetables and sauté until lightly browned.  Add the liquids to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift off any of the yummy bits stuck to it.  Return the meat to the pot and add the bay leaves and juniper berries.  Cover the pot and place in the oven for 3 hours or until the meat is tender and ready to fall off the bone.  When ready to serve, place the meat on a serving platter.  Strain the liquids using a mesh strainer and press the vegetables to push them through the strainer producing a fine puree of vegetables to the sauce.  Strain off any grease from the stock and adjust seasoning as needed.

 

 

Creamy Parmesan Risotto:

 

2 Cups Arborio Rice

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 Cups Chicken Broth, hot

3 oz Cream Cheese

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

½ Cup Milk

 

Place a large skillet over medium heat on the stove.  Add the olive oil and rice.  Stir frequently and allow the rice to toast slightly.  Add the chicken broth 1 cup at a time to the rice, stirring constantly, and adding the next cup as the rice absorbs the liquid.  Once the rice is tender remove it from the heat and add the remaining ingredients.  Stir until all of the cheese is melted and thoroughly combined with the rice.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

 

Sautéed Vegetable Medley:

 

½ lb. Fresh or Frozen Green and Wax Beans

½ lb. Fresh or Frozen Asparagus

1 cup Sliced mushrooms

Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

 

Pour 1 – 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the vegetables and salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and allow the vegetables to steam for 3-5 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to sauté until the liquid has evaporated, the vegetables are beginning to brown and they have an al dente texture to them.  Adjust seasoning as needed.

Pho Fun

We had a great night creating bowls of Pho for dinner. 

Wintertime Breakfast!

We're snowed in here at home! However, we stocked up with foods for breakfast. Fried Potatoes, Bacon and Eggs! Hope everyone is safe and warm.